Force Display Based on Simultaneous Actuation of Motors and Brakes

In the virtual environment, force feedback to the human operator makes virtual experiences more realistic. However, the force feedback using active actuators such as motors can make the system active and sometimes unstable. To ensure the safe operation and enhance the haptic feeling, stability should be guaranteed. Both motors and brakes are commonly used for haptic device. A brake can generate a torque only against its rotation, but it is intrinsically stable. Consequently, motors and brakes are complementing each other. In this research, a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) haptic device equipped with both motors and brakes has been developed to provide better haptic effects. Each DOF is actuated by a pair of motor and brake. Modeling of the environment and the control method are needed to utilize both actuators. For various haptic effects, contact with the virtual wall and representation of friction effect are extensively investigated in this paper. It is shown that the hybrid haptic system is more suited to some applications than the motor-based active haptic system.